the beast inside
by weasleyey
Summary: Hermione, whose beloved but aging mentor has been assigned to take care of a bewitched Malfoy, offers herself instead, only to find him to be not at all as she thought. Beauty and the Beast with a dramione twist.
1. prologue

**A/N: I've been sitting on this fic idea for so long, it's probably at least slightly unbelievable. I think I first began actually writing it sometime around midnight early July 2014. Imagine my surprise when Emma Watson gets picked to be the lead in the live-action _Beauty and the Beast_! I look forward to eventually posting the rest, maybe after I write it so that I won't keep you all waiting for updates. Tell me what you think!**

* * *

 **| prologue |**

* * *

The woman rolled onto her side in his bed to face him. She was bare, clad only in a bedsheet as she smiled up at him lazily. He did not smile back.

"I had a fabulous night Draco-"

" _Malfoy_." He corrected her, not missing the crestfallen expression that flickered on her face before she pulled it into smile.

" _Malfoy_. Yes well, I had a great night, and I was wondering if you'd like to maybe meet up sometime? Maybe tomorrow, over coffee-"

He didn't even wait for a reasonable quiet to settle, for her hope to collect, before he plunged straight into the rejection. "No." His gaze shifted away from her to the window, where he stood rod-straight. "The sun is coming up, I think it's about time to sneak back into your house. Get out."

He watched her lip wobble before she raced to retrieve her clothes and run out, with only a regret-filled glance at him. He didn't care. Sure, he might regret not keeping her for another night next time he was out with Blaise and his wife, who would question him mercilessly about his love life; but for now he was blissfully careless.

He found a silk green robe to wrap over himself as he prepared to go downstairs. His house elves could blush ever so when he wasn't proper. He mulled over the petty servants as he reached the top of the stairs, only to see a woman in white on the barrister. She turned to face him, and he felt his breath catch.

" _Mother_?"

The woman who bore the exact same features as Narcissa shook her head. "No sweetheart." She spoke, even though her voice made for an oxymoron. "Although I did choose this form for you." She gestured to her body, or rather Narcissa Malfoy's.

"Who- Who are you then?" The shock of seeing his mother for the first time in four years was slow to wear off.

Suddenly his mother, or whatever it was, was right next to him, his face in her hands as she rubbed his cheek with her thumb softly. "You wouldn't understand if I told you. Just know that I believe you can do this."

The last part included a catch in her voice, and the molten silver eyes that were so much like his own gazed at him with something he hadn't seen on the face in so long. Hope. With a pat of Draco's cheek, the apparition smiled at him before letting go and stepping back.

Her demeanor suddenly changed, and now her tone drilled into him. "But oh, Draco Malfoy, you have put yourself in a terrible place." Her tone was akin to the ones Draco had heard during wartime. Calculated and terrifyingly honest. "Over the past four years you have displayed an aloofness like no other. You have broken countless hearts with your seemingly careless attitude."

Draco snorted, breaking the scared character he had had up to now. "Seemingly? Mother, or whoever the hell you are, I can tell you for a fact that I _really_ do not care. And that my late mum, of all people, is here to tell me that, is frankly, stupid. Please get out of my house before I wake the entire Manor. I don't know what this is, but I want it out."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "It is worse than I originally thought." Her eyes snapped to Draco, the same pitying look as before looking disconcerting of her face. "Now listen carefully Draco Abraxas Malfoy."

" _Ponderus_ "

Draco dropped to his knees as the foreign feelings attacked his body. From every patch of skin it seemed white-blond hair was growing, making his loose robe stuffy. "What-What have you done?" He asked, spitting hairs from his mouth.

The empathetic look returned. "Your outward appearance has started to become your only positive attribute, and you have taken to using it for all the wrong reasons. I have changed it to now reflect that of your heart."

"How do I change back?" His whine changed into an animalistic growl. "Tell me how to change back!"

The woman smiled at him. "You fall in love." She said simply. She extracted something from her robes. "By the evening of half a year, getting a woman to return your affections shall return you human once more. This potion," She shook what appeared to be a miniature cauldron before placing it in front of Draco. "shall be your way of determining your progress."

Malfoy scoffed. "You must be as mad. No way anyone will ever want to look at me twice like this."

The witch's eyes twinkled but otherwise disregarded his protest. "Each time you fail to do so, the red liquid's amount will drop. If by the half year no more potion remains," She paused, and Draco could hear his own breath. "you will remain in this form forever."

A woman crouched next to him. His mother. "Good luck sweetheart." And then she vanished.

The house elves would find him in the same place hours later, his robes in shreds from the new-found claws.

* * *

 ** _Pondero_ is Latin for "reflector". I felt it suited.**


	2. 1

_Chapter Notes: Oh god am I absolutely giddy for this story to properly get a move on. I've carried this idea for so long, and it's officially begun! (the prologue doesn't count of course, I've been sitting on that for too long for it to do so). Forewarning, there will be short chapters in the beginning. Without further ado..._

 _Disclaimer: blah blah I don't own any characters that you recognize whatever._

* * *

 **| 1 |**

* * *

"Healer Granger!"

The cry and the nudge had interrupted her reading on boomslang skin's unique properties with shape-changing. She looked up instantly anyways, knowing that Gretchen would only disturb her snack break for something urgent. She got up, grabbed her wand and put the book on the table, starting to shrug on her bag. "What is it?"

"Healer Hudson was there when someone filed for a house call. She's gone over." Gretchen, the poor girl, burst out, wringing her hands. "I know you told me to be careful when checking the reports miss, but she must've looked over my shoulder or something because-"

"It's alright Gretchen," She cut off her assistant's apologies, "we've been giving her nothing but minor cases for weeks, she was bound to have been itching for something big. Now it's just a matter of how big. What was the case, did you see it?" The healer asked, punching floor number four and watching the lift's heavy doors close.

"It was a house call for some manor in Wiltshire I think. I didn't get a glance of the patient's name or malady before it was practically ripped from my hands."

The two got out, and made their way through the halls to an ornate fireplace with a glass vase filled with a green powder sitting next to it. Healer Granger grabbed a handful and went to stand inside.

She poked her head out. "Did you see the location?"

Gretchen scrunched up her face in thought for a minute before nodding. "I'm pretty sure it was a _Malfoy Manor_ , but I can't be absolutely sure miss." She said, unknowingly dropping a weight into the other woman's stomach.

"Thank you Gretchen. Please clear my schedule for today, and give any any incoming cases to the other healers, I have a feeling this is going to take a while." And with that, the healer dumped a handful of the green powder onto the coals, and spoke the name of her destination.

She stepped out of a different fireplace seconds later, this one much more ornate than the one she had entered. The white marble met the decor of the new room as a hand met a wrist, for now that she had seen it she could not imagine a more perfect fit.

Brushing the ash and soot off of her clothes, she studied the room around her, unsure of what to do. Indecision did not fit her character however, and on spotting a doorway, she strode through it, a yell building in her throat. "Healer Hudson!"

The name echoed down when she appeared in a hallway. The walls seemed to close around her, and had she not known that it was just after noon she would've assumed it was night. A small _crack_ sounded, and Granger whirled around, wand out immediately. Upon seeing what she was about to hex, she lowered it hastily.

A house elf stared at her a bit warily, and it's oversized eyes narrowed at her. "Who is you?"

She cleared her throat, and tried to pretend as if that little slip-up hadn't happened. "Um, I'm Hermione Granger, a healer from St. Mungo's Hospital of Magical Maladies and Injuries. I'm here on request of a-" She looked down to see the creature shaking his head, big ears flapping.

"There is already being a healer here miss! Master does not want anyone else seeing him! He is telling Mopsy so!"

Hermione sighed, before beginning again patiently. "I'm sure if your master heard me out he'd be happy to have me switch with the healer already here, Mopsy." She wasn't sure about this, but if it made the elf more willing, well.

The elf still appeared unsure, but conceded anyway. "Mopsy will lead missus Healer to Master." And the elf turned on it's heel, it's intent for her to follow.

Follow she did. Down corridor after dark corridor the elf went, the Healer following in it's wake, until she caught sight of something other than the manor's drab decor. She pushed past Mopsy hastily, calling "Healer Hudson!".

The woman in question turned, and Hermione collided with her in a hug. "What were you thinking, taking a house call? I thought I told you to stay at the hospital because of your condition! Oh Martha, I was so worried-"

She stopped talking abruptly, realizing that the older had stopped the hand rubbing her back. Catching sight of Martha Hudson's expression, the healer followed her gaze, and let out a shaky gasp at the sight.

She let go of Healer Hudson, but stepped in front of her in an unconscious protective gesture. Carefully, she hid her nervousness and wiped her sweating palms by readjusting her robes, before clearing her throat. "Well, I see now why St. Mungo's was called."

The person, er, _creature_ in front of her was unlike anything she'd ever seen. Whitish blonde hair sprung from everywhere, and tusk type things protruded from his mouth; her eyes darted everywhere, unable to comprehend all the things wrong with this, this, _being_. The Healer started dissecting the _it_ before her like a college professor might confront a grade school child's essay.

"Mopsy is sorry sir, he really is! He is knowing Master did not want-" The house elf cried out of nowhere, pushing to the front, but was cut off by a growl.

"I is trying to tell Mopsy sir!" Another voice piped up from behind the strange creature. "Tipsy did not want St. Mungo people to come, just like Master! Tipsy is-" Another growl from his Master silenced him as well.

Tipsy had appeared next to Mopsy, and having attempted to evade blame, now turned on his fellow elf. "What was you thinking!" He exclaimed in a whisper-shout that did not serve it's purpose, as everyone in the room could hear.

Mopsy responded in kind. "Master is needing help! Help has come, see Tipsy! She can break-"

" _That will be enough_."

Healer Granger was hit with a sense of foreboding at the tone, and turned away immediately, diverting her attention to her mentor. "Martha, you know as well as I do that we cannot take an unwilling patient and this, uh I mean, Mr. Malfoy is anything-"

"I don't believe _Mr. Malfoy_ has said anything about willingness yet."

The voice was the rich with a certain acerbic wit reminiscent of his and Miss Granger's school days. The tone in of itself was a challenge, one she'd seen people fall for time and time again. She refused to do the same. Just like she did back in their school days, she would remain passive.

"Are you saying you will accept treatment Mr. Malfoy?" She leveled the beast's gaze, and tried not to flinch at his appearance.

He took a step closer and she fought instinct to stay put. "Look at me," he gestured to his condition, "even my house elves seem to agree. I am in definite need of treatment Miss- sorry, _Healer_ Granger."

The woman in question's shoulders tensed, but she was otherwise rigid. She was saved from having to reply by the other healer, who pushed to the front.

"No! You can't keep her here!" The elder woman cried out. "She has a life, you can't expect her to stay shut up in-"

Suddenly overcome with a coughing fit, she was unable to finish, and the sentence died. Hermione Granger let the coughing stop before embracing her mentor. "Now you see why I don't let you take any big cases anymore?" She smiled sadly. "I have to take this Martha, you know that."

"But-"

"First and foremost, I am a Healer, and I have a duty to anyone who seeks my help. I pledged that when when I first got certified. You know that Healer Hudson.

"Just- tell Harry and Ron in the best way possible for me yeah? Anything you can do to stop them from barging in here. It's the least you can do for me." Hermione was taken aback at how quickly her eyes had watered, but pushed the flimsy tears away before hugging her mentor again.

The other woman let out a shaky sigh before nodding. "And I'll arrange for your things to be sent with Gretchen."

"If that is all." Mr. Malfoy's voice came into the conversation, startling both of the women. Satisfied that they would both stay silent, he smoothed his immaculate black robe before he spoke.

"I'd like to set up some rules for treatment." When Granger nodded immediately, he clarified. "Preferably not with someone not included in the plan."

The young healer seemed to have had enough. "Mr. Malfoy, I have done nothing but comply with your commands thus far. Now if you'll allow me to say goodbye to Healer Hudson and get settled into where I'll be living for who knows how long, I can start on you. Is that clear?"

Malfoy looked momentarily stunned, before clearing his throat. He addressed the elf at his feet. "Mopsy, please take Healer Granger's things and settle them into the second guest room. Tipsy, you may take her there. I trust you two cannot mess that up."

Both Mopsy and Tipsy merely stared at their master for a second before nodding twice, huge ears bobbing. "If Miss healer shall follow." Tipsy told her in a near whisper, and set off behind Malfoy, giving Hermione no choice but to follow.

She gave him a levelled look and a nod, to which he responded with a mock bow. "I'll expect my diagnosis by dinner time at the dining hall, Granger."

And with that, he turned on his heel, leaving Hermione alone with the house elves.

* * *

 _ **End Notes:** I didn't expect to start so early, but I've gotten impatient. Updates will **not** be frequent sadly, cause I'll be away for most of the next two months, but in that time I hope I can start arranging the rest of the story._

 _I hope you all enjoyed it, please review, it helps an author ever so much!_


End file.
